Fields of research

Research Theme

Our team is built at the interface between basic research in cognition and clinical research in brain therapies.

We address two questions:

1) the bases of specifically human cognitive functions (language and social cognition), and the role of the striatum in such functions;

2) the relation between brain reconstruction and functional reconstruction (rehabilitation and grafting). Because Huntington's Disease is predominantly characterized by a neural degeneration targeting the striatum, we used it as a model both for striatal lesion and for cell therapy and neuroprotection. We combine large scale studies in cell therapy and basic research in cognition.

This specificity enables us for the first time to use intracerebral grafting as a model of plasticity in human beings and to integrate therapeutics in basic research in cognition. In addition, we develop cognitive programs in language and social cognition within the Département d’Etudes Cognitives (ENS) and transfer them to brain pathology.﻿